Nikon Coolpix P2

The P2 is for lovers of great-quality photographs

Our Verdict

The excellent noise performance and its physically large 1/1.8-inch 5Mp sensor makes for great performance and value

For

Stunning image quality

Excellent lens sharpness

Built-in Wi-Fi connectivity

Supremely well thought out

Against

5Mp image size may be a little limiting

It's all but impossible to find anything with a Nikon badge on it that has duff build quality, and the Coolpix P2 looks and feels great. With its strong photographic heritage, the P2 is supremely well thought out, placing all the controls right where you need them and offering a wonderfully intuitive camera experience.

The sharpness of the 3.5x zoom lens proved excellent in all of our tests and the metering system made excellent judgement calls in even the trickiest of lighting conditions - something that Nikon cameras are renowned for.

The P2 goes further still: Nikon's proprietary D-Lighting system emphasises details that would otherwise be lost in shadows, plus a red-eye removal software feature that works brilliantly. You can apply both these features as and when you need to, after taking shots.

For lovers of great-quality photographs, the P2 more than fits the bill. Yet it also has extra geek value, with the built-in Wi-Fi connectivity. This means that you can link the camera to compatible PCs, laptops, printers and PDAs without the need to fiddle around with any cables.

Meanwhile, back on the photo-taking front, the main camera control dial offers a wider-than-average range of accessibility, enabling you to adjust sensitivity and white balance as well as most other image settings, quickly and easily.

The only fly in the ointment is that some might find the 5Mp image size a little limiting. If so, you can get pretty much the identical camera with an 8Mp sensor for an extra £55 or so, in the shape of the Coolpix P1. For our money, however, the excellent noise performance offered by the P2 and its physically large 1/1.8-inch 5Mp sensor makes for great performance and value. Matthew Richards